Apple orders Witherspoon, Aniston drama in TV push

LOS ANGELES | Apple Inc has ordered two seasons of a dramatic series that stars Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston and looks at the lives of people working on a morning television show, a company spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The series is among the first projects the iPhone maker has acquired for its plunge into original television programming, where it aims to compete with established players such as Netflix Inc and Time Warner Inc’s HBO.

The untitled project taps top-level Hollywood talent at a time when deep-pocketed technology companies are jockeying with traditional networks to land A-list stars.

It marks Aniston’s first TV show since her famous role on the hit comedy “Friends” ended in 2004. Witherspoon, who appeared on “Friends” as Aniston’s younger sister, recently starred in and served as a producer of the Emmy-winning HBO series “Big Little Lies.”

Apple spokeswoman Rita Cooper Lee also confirmed the company had ordered a remake of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s science fiction anthology series “Amazing Stories.” News of a potential deal for the Spielberg show had emerged in October.

It is unclear when the shows will be released or where viewers will be able to see them. Apple has not divulged if it will put its own TV series in the iTunes Store, where it sells shows made by other companies, or on another platform.

Aniston and Witherspoon will among be the show’s executive producers. It will be produced by Media Res, a studio founded by former HBO executive Michael Ellenberg.